European Peasant Bread Recipe [Video]

To be honest, I don’t even really know what classifies a particular loaf as a “Peasant Bread”. I’m guessing it’s just a term bakers use to make their breads sound more European, more rustic, and more flavorful.

As for myself, I tend to think of peasant breads as those containing at least 1/3rd whole grain. That’s a very arbitrary number, mind you, but it is what it is. Since this loaf hits that minimum here at 33% whole grain, I’m gonna go ahead and call it a peasant bread . . .

And also because it sounds more rustic that way.

Loaf Description

This is a rich and complexly flavored bread. It’s whole grain content is split evenly between whole wheat, whole spelt, and whole rye. Each grain adds its own range of flavors and the combination is a perfect match. Coupled with a long slow rise — the result of a very small inoculation of starter — and you end up with a tangy aromatic bread full of whole grain goodness.

And yet despite its high portion of whole grain flour, when made properly this is actually a very light and airy loaf of bread. The whole grain makes it hearty, but the high hydration of the dough keeps it moist and open.

This loaf should be neither dense nor heavy.

Don’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t come out perfect the first try. Mine didn’t. Keep at it and you’ll get it soon enough.

Just a warning though: With a high hydration and 11% whole rye, this is a sticky dough. I wouldn’t recommend this as a loaf for beginners — it WILL test your dough handling skills.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Autolyse

Combine all the flour and water and mix until evenly incorporated. No need to develop any gluten here, just make sure the four different flours are wetted and fully dispersed. You’re aiming for the classic shaggy lump here.

The longer you let this sit the better. The more whole grain in a dough, the more important it is to let it rest for a good long while and hydrate. Let it sit for at least 1 hour. Two is better, and three better still. In fact, this recipe would be a great candidate for using the “Pre-mix” method.

2. Mix

After your dough has rested, add the salt and starter. Since this is a wet dough, there’s no need to reserve any water to add with the salt. As you can see from the video, I just sprinkle the salt on top of the dough, toss in my starter (yeah, I let the starter and salt touch) and mix it in.

For my mixing method, I used the technique shown in this video for mixing wet dough. It’ll give you a nice and fully developed dough. But a heads up: the rye in this dough lends it a “plastic” quality. As a result, it’s not the most extensible dough . . .

And it’ll give you a good fight as you mix it.

But the results are worth the effort. So just power through it and be thankful you don’t have to hand knead a whole trough of the stuff like bakers had to back in the day.

3. Bulk Fermentation/Folds

This is designed to be a slow proofing dough, hence the small starter inoculation. But times will vary based on differing conditions and differing starters.

So adjust as necessary.

This particular loaf took 6.5 hours before it was ready to pre-round. What matters is not so much the length of the fermentation, but the degree to which it has proofed. You want the dough somewhat airy, but far from doubled. Maybe a 30-50% rise — slightly young. At no point should your dough degas during any of your folds.

And speaking of folds . . .

I gave this dough 8 folds (not including the one right before turning out the dough). I fold my doughs based on what they need. This can differ from dough to dough and day to day.

But generally speaking, I like to give wet doughs 4 folds during the first 2 hours (every 30 minutes). This helps them to develop some tension and keeps them from sticking too much to the non-oiled bowl I use, which is important later on when I turn out the dough.

Then I usually move on to hourly folds after that. In this particular case, I gave it a final fold just 30 minutes before pre-rounding. The proof wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be before turning out, but had I waited a full hour after the fold it would’ve been a bit too far and likely lost some gas when turned out. So I just split the difference — half an hour — and it worked out perfect.

Always respond to the needs of the dough in hand instead of blindly sticking to some arbitrary schedule. Your dough will thank you.

But also, don’t be afraid to neglect the folds if you’ve got better things to do than hover over your dough all day. The bread making process should mold to your schedule, not the other way around. Sure, you might not get as high a rise or as open a crumb, but you’ll still get good bread. Never be a slave to the folds.

4. Pre-round

As you can see from the video, I have a pretty simple process for pre-rounding my loaves. By turning the dough just like when you fold it (this is a fold, actually), it releases the dough from the sides of the bowl and allows you to turn it out nice and easy.

This method of removing the dough minimizes the damage done when you turn it out. It doesn’t stick to the bowl and degas as it stretches. You don’t have to scrape it off from the sides. The dough comes out clean, unharmed and with full integrity.

Plus, as an added bonus, you don’t need to use any flour on your hands or the bench. The folds just before you empty the bowl add tension to the dough, and tension reduces a dough’s stickiness. And since your hand is still a bit wet after folding it, the dough won’t stick there either.

Win, win.

Just be very very careful when folding this late into the proof. If your dough deflates at all then you were either too rough, or the dough was too proofy for this method to work. It’s a fine line and requires good judgment. Experience is your friend here so keep at it until your hand and eye can reliably make the right call.

Now just grab your bench knife and carefully pre-round the loaf into a nice tight boule. Make it as tight as you reasonably can — the longer you can let this sit the better. Aim for an hour, but if it needs to be shaped sooner then shape it sooner. Don’t let it overproof on the bench.

The reason I like to let it sit for an hour — as opposed to the more often recommended 20-30 minutes — is because, if I timed the bulk fermentation right, the dough should still be just slightly young. It shouldn’t overproof, and the long rest will allow it to fully relax and become that much more extensible.

This allows you to give the dough fuller and tighter folds as you’re shaping, ultimately leading to a loaf with greater structure and tension. The more structure and tension your loaf can hold, the greater its ability to keep a nice shape and spring oh so mightily in the oven.

And the more open the resulting crumb will be.

5. Shape

You can shape your loaf however you like. I shape differently depending on the dough, circumstances, and what I’m trying to achieve. But generally, with really wet and/or extensible doughs I like to use Chad Robertson’s “Structural Shaping” method (which I just think of as swaddling the loaf).

If the dough is a bit stiffer/less extensible, I’ll either use the folding method you see in this video, or I’ll simply round it up on my apron-clad belly and shape it free hand in the air. But the latter method doesn’t make for very good filming so I usually shape on the bench when recording. Additionally, it can make for a tighter crumb if you don’t have well-trained hands.

One thing I want to make note of is the minimal amount of flour I use when shaping.

There are 3 reasons I can get away with using so little flour: 1) I let the pre-round sit uncovered for a full hour. This helps it to form a very slight skin on the surface (if it develops a lizard skin, it should’ve been covered). 2) I keep my hands floured as I shape. 3) I shape quickly. The quicker you can shape, the less your dough will stick. When filming, I actually shape a bit slower than I would otherwise — it’s better for demonstration purposes that way.

So use as much flour as you need to prevent the dough from sticking. But no more. And always strive towards using less and less as your ability improves.

6. Proof

I like to proof this loaf seam down in a linen-lined, lightly floured basket. When you turn it out of the basket the seam-side becomes the top of the loaf and that’s what’ll give it that dramatic tearing in place of the regular cuts.

Makes it look more rustic, no?

Just proof it until ready, usually 2-4 hours. This particular loaf was closer to 4 hours. You can use the finger test if you like, but for reasons that I laid out in this post, I don’t think it’s always the best method — and that holds true here.

Because this loaf has that plastic quality I mentioned earlier, I find the finger-poke test to be a bit misleading. Plastic loaves like to hold deformation, whereas elastic loaves prefer to resist it. Had I been judging the proof of this loaf with the finger-poke test, I probably would have baked it 30-60 minutes too early.

So use your best judgement and adjust the next time if needed.

7. Bake

I baked this loaf in a cast iron combo cooker at 450F for 20 minutes covered and then 30 minutes uncovered. But you can bake however you prefer — dutch oven, baking stone with steam, hotter, cooler, etc. If you’ve been baking awhile, you’ve already got your preferred method so feel free to stick with that if you like.

8. Cool

Be sure to let this loaf cool thoroughly. Wet doughs with a high percentage of whole grain (especially if there’s a lot of rye in there) can get a bit gummy if cut into too soon. In fact, if you’ve got the patience, let it sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours before cutting into it. The flavor will continue to improve for up to a full day after baking, and the crumb will have set fully.

Still, I won’t begrudge you if you decide to rip into this thing while it’s still warm. Even the best of us do it from time to time.

So that’s it. I hope you enjoyed the post and found the video helpful. Until next time . . .

Comments

Can I make this with a touch less hydration? I am sure that my dough handling skills were not up to par because this was like trying to pour pudding into my Dutch oven. I probably didn’t do enough folds at the beginning. I followed your pre-mix method but did folds instead of the rolling technique that you use.

The loaves seem to have turned out okay (just okay, not fantastic) in spite of them being oddly shaped from sticking to the sides of the DO. They just came out of the oven do I don’t know yet what the crumb is like.

Hi Danni, you can definitely use less hydration. This is a difficult dough to handle so feel free to lower hydration to whatever degree you feel comfortable handling.

But I should give you a bit of warning here: using the premix method isn’t the best process for wet doughs like this. In this recipe I call for a standard autolyse instead of premixing the dough. The reason I don’t recommend premixing wet doughs is because it tends to make them weak and soupy. The point of premixing is to fully develop a dough with minimal mixing, and to increase the dough’s extensibility.

But wet doughs are already very extensible. So they become weak instead.

And they’re more prone to wild fermentation and enzymatic activity which could potentially produce off flavors. Premixing is best suited for stiffer doughs, while wet doughs are better off with a 1-2 hour autolyse instead. I hope that helps. Better luck next time. Cheers!

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. You had a comment in the recipe about this dough being a great candidate for the pre- mix method so that is why I used it. And you are totally right about the dough being soupy with this method.

In any case, the crumb and the flavour turned out fantastic even though I was sure I had knocked all the gas out of the dough when I plopped it in the Dutch oven. I doubled the recipe and took a boule to the school I am working at temporarily. The staff loved the loaf!

I am definitely going to make this again. If I use the same method, I will reduce the hydration.

Ha! You’re right! I totally said that. Damn. I thought I was more consistent than that. Well shit, I guess that comes with having constantly evolving views on bread baking — or at least, that’s what I’m going to tell myself.

To clarify then . . .

At this point in time, I don’t think pre-mixing with this dough is a good idea without taking extra precautions (like leaving it in the fridge all night instead of setting it out on the counter). Even then, it will always be more risky than a stiffer dough.

Hopefully you can get past my inconsistent advice and figure out a way to make this recipe work well for you. Best of luck!

Hi Kaila, your bread looks fantastic! You’re doing amazing work for a beginner! Or any experience level for that matter. Beautifully done!

To answer your question, I think the best place to start in your quest for a tangier loaf is to retard it overnight in the refrigerator. In my experience, that usually has the most immediate and dramatic impact when it comes to getting a more sour flavor. You could also try adding more starter, but often times that has the reverse effect. It’s counter intuitive, I know, but if the extra starter causes the loaf to rise too quickly then you won’t get as much flavor (or sour) development.

I’ve personally had much better results by doing the opposite — using less starter and a longer proof. This has typically provided my loaves with better flavor and more tang. Or you can use a combo — maybe try less starter for a longer rise, then retard it overnight to really take it to the next level.

One other method I’ve found particularly helpful (usually) when going for a more sour flavor is to use the old-dough method with a well aged piece of dough. So for instance, I might make up a dough exactly like the final dough I intend to make for the loaf (this includes salt). I’ll typically use about 25% old dough as a portion of the final dough (not by baker’s percentage). And I’ll proof that old-dough for about 8-10 hours at room temperature and then refrigerate it for an additional 12-36 hours. Then I just use that large chunk of old-dough as the leaven for the final dough.

This big chunk of well aged dough brings with it a large acid load that can give your bread quite the sour kick. But it’s a risky procedure. If you let the old-dough get too old — to the point of gluten degradation — then that can significantly compromise the quality of your final dough. You may just end up with a flat shaggy mess. It’s helpful to use a higher protein bread flour for both the old-dough and for your final dough. And it’s also better to use that method with a much stiffer dough than what this recipe makes.

Also, keep in mind that using such large amounts of old-dough will almost always result in a much tighter crumb. When I’m making this style bread that doesn’t really bother me — I prefer sour breads mainly for toast and sandwiches anyway. But just keep that in mind if you go this route. With that said, the best way to get a more sour loaf without compromising the quality of your crumb is either to use the less starter/longer rise method or refrigeration method. Good luck!

Wonderful recipe! With just a couple slight modifications (a few more drops of water, upping salt to 11g, and including 3g of diastatic malt) this produced the most beautiful and delicious loaf I’ve yet pulled out of my oven. Perfect crust, cloud like crumb, and an unparalleled depth of flavor no doubt due to the advent of spelt and rye. Thank you tremendously for my new daily bread!!

Hey Corey, that’s great! I’m glad you liked the recipe! It’s hard to beat that combination of spelt and rye (though buckwheat and rye is quite nice as well). I’m glad you were able to modify it a bit to better fit your liking — that’s how we do it! Cheers!

Hi Joyce, the typical recommendation is to bake until an internal temperature of 190F is reached. Sometimes recommendations might go as high as 210F for certain breads. For me personally, I never measure internal temperature. I just bake to an appropriate color at an appropriate temperature and trust that it’ll be baked perfectly through. Of course, “appropriate” can vary quite a bit depending on the dough and the oven. Trial and error is my favorite teacher when it comes to these things. If I have any doubts then I do the tap test — tap on the bottom of the loaf and if it sounds hollow you’re good to go. If it sounds muted then toss it back into the oven for a bit.

Thanks Nomi! You are correct, when I say starter I’m referring to a sourdough starter. I personally like to (usually) use a mature, or fully ripe starter. That’s typically about 10-12 hours after I feed it. But so long as your starter is fully active (capable of doubling or tripling in volume within 8 hours of refreshment), you can use it young or mature. Many bakers these days like to use a very young starter or levain, maybe 3-4 hours old. It’s just a matter of personal preference.

As for when to take it out of the fridge, that depends. The longer it’s been in the fridge the less healthy it will tend to be. A starter that’s been in the fridge just a couple days may only need a single refreshment to bring it back to full strength. But one that’s been in there a couple weeks may need 2 or 3 feedings to remove the acid load and bring it back to vigor. It’s really just a matter of trial and error to figure out what works best for you under your specific circumstances. Best of luck!

Hey Trevor,
Great recipe. For my first try, I didn’t have bread flour, so I used AP flour and a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten, and crossed my fingers. Turned out great! Amazing flavor with this bread.
Thanks for your videos & recipes!

Amazing recipes! I made it a few times and I love the flavour of it!! One thing though, my dough didn’t rise as much as yours did in the video. It also got stuck to my proofing basket the first time. The bread still tastes amazing but just a bit flat. Any suggestions on why that is?

Hi Kat, there could be many reasons that your loaf didn’t rise as much as mine. But without being there to see things in person, I can’t really give you an accurate answer — just a best guess. Usually, the main culprit is the starter. If your starter isn’t as active as mine, then the rise will be slower — if not downright sluggish, depending on just how active it actually is. Other causes could be shaping (if you don’t create enough surface tension), temperature (cooler temps make for a slower rise), flour quality (lower protein flour may not rise as high), etc. But in my experience, most rising problems are due to the starter.

And that comes down to the starter maintenance routine.

So you may need to adjust your feed schedule in order to bring more activity to your starter. But again, that’s really just a guess. As for the dough sticking to the basket . . . did you use rice flour or regular flour? Rice flour is what you want to use — practically nothing sticks when coated in rice flour. But there are other possibilities as well — if you don’t develop enough surface tension when shaping then the slack dough will be more inclined to stick than had it been shaped taut. It could even just be that you just didn’t use enough flour. Again, I’d have to be there to see for myself what’s going on in order to give you a good answer. Wish I could give you better answers.